We are off to see some sites today, not the sewer (see previous entry for that debacle!). Today we are taking in some Parisian history and neighbourhoods
It is a dark drizzly day, not what one wants when off to see the Sainte-Chapelle. This was a private chapel built by and for the Royal Family between 1238-48. That was pretty much a record time span for constructing a building like this. It is particularly known for the number of stained-glass windows and its very light and airy atmosphere, especially when the sun shines. Unfortunately the sun did not cooperate but it was still a great place to visit.
King Louis IX built it mainly to house what was believed to the Christ’s Crown of Thorns, obviously an important relic from medieval Christendom. He apparently paid 4 times the cost of the construction of the chapel for the relic alone. I believe he was granted sainthood for that little feat. The crown of thorns still exists, it was moved to Notre Dame and was saved during the fire in 2019.
And speaking of Notre Dame, here is the grand lady. Still undergoing repairs but getting closer and closer to re-opening.
Feeling peckish we needed a little mid-morning something to keep us going. We’ve had day after day of a lot of steps (according to Beth’s iWatch).
How about a Flat White coffee and some healthy fruit in a nice cafe across from the Seine and Notre Dame:
Wait a minute….. fruit? I don’t think so baby!
Refreshed and invigorated from our healthy snack (haha) we explored the adjacent Latin Quarter, an interesting jumble of small streets with a medieval atmosphere.
And here is the skinniest house in Paris. I don’t know how they get to to the upper floors, the stairway (probably circular) must be tiny.
We picked up baguette sandwiches and took’em back to our hotel for lunch and a rest. After some research on what to do for the afternoon we decided on a visit to the Montmartre neighbourhood, located up on a hill overlooking the city. Dominated by the large Sacre-Coeur basilica, it is also an area of funky little streets and shops. Unfortunately it’s pretty touristy as well, would have been more interesting back when Van Gogh was visiting and hanging out with the local artists that so influenced him.
First, here is the Sacre-Couer.
And a walk around the neighbourhood behind it. We stopped for a top-up, I had a Kir Chardonnay amd Beth went for a Viennese coffee.
OK, man the steps were adding up! We had a decision to make, head back to our pad for a rest and then try and muster up the energy to go back out later for dinner, or find somewhere for an earlier dinner and then go collapse. We decided to take the Metro back to the Latin Quarter as we had seen some funky cafes there. So, back to the closest Metro stop and after an exchange or two we were there.
Check out these dishes! Finally got our French Onion soup, Beth also had the escargot and I had a steak. What a way to finish off Part 1 of our Paris jaunt. More to come later. Tomorrow we pack up and head east to a town called Beaune. Au Revoir!
This featured blog entry was written by Ross Walker from the blog From Canals to Croissants.
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